Falmouth Stories

Student Shortlisted for Prestigious Conservation Award

Third year Marine & Natural History Photography student Karl Davies has been shortlisted for the Wildscreen Panda Awards 2018, alongside nominees such as David Attenborough and Blue Planet II.

The Wildscreen Panda Awards have been a key function at the Wildscreen Festival since they were first presented in 1982. To this day, they remain the highest accolade in the wildlife film and television industry. Karl's nomination stands alongside prestigious names such as BBC Natural World, National Geographic and Al Jazeera.

The Landscape of Consumption, Karl's final year project, depicts the over-consumption in contemporary society and the rapid urbanisation taking place globally. The film uses dramatic time-lapse photography to demonstrate the changes to rural areas, with a landmass the size of Britain disappearing every day under a jungle of concrete.

Karl commented: "The last half-century of exponential population growth, combined with consumer capitalism, has vastly transformed the topography of our small green planet. Via endless cityscapes and cathedral-like shopping malls, the film takes us on a mesmeric journey through our modern, almost dystopian, reality.

"I was very surprised to have been shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award, mainly because my film doesn't feature any traditional wildlife filmmaking, which I thought would be a requirement for a nature film festival like Wildscreen. However, I think the judges appreciated how the themes of urbanisation and mass-consumption negatively affect all flora and fauna on a global scale."

Karl's submission is his first ever film project, and is largely influenced by stills photographers such as Michael Wolf, Chris Jordan and Gursky. The work of these esteemed photographers is heavily based around the themes of over-consumption and urban landscapes. Karl's film brings the still world of urbanisation to life via time-lapse.

Speaking on the benefits of studying at Falmouth, Karl explained: "The course provided me with the development time and core skills to improve my own practice. Most importantly though, the lecturers at Falmouth taught me about the importance of storytelling and getting your message across through imagery."